A foregrip is a grip on the front of a firearm that can be used to help support the firearm, and prevents burns from the barrel during firing. The foregrip is preferably shaped for comfortable gripping with a hand, for example, having a rounded shape.
A bipod is a device having two legs used to position, support, and stabilize a device which requires aiming, such as a firearm or a camera. Bipods may be independent devices for removable mounting on the device, or may be integrally formed therewith. Bipods with adjustable legs are well known in the art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,103 to Keng. The bipod described by Keng does not form a grip, rather the bipod is provided with side bodies forming a grip in the closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,424 to Moody discloses a combination of a grip and a bipod. Moody teaches a grip with a concealable and collapsible bipod. The grip includes a tubular recess that serves as a housing for the bipod legs when concealed and for a sliding piston assembly that deploys the bipod legs. Moody teaches a complicated mechanism for sliding the piston, and a spring-loaded fulcrum release mechanism positioned at the top of the handle.
A disadvantage of the bipod of Moody is that the legs are deployed together with one another and extend from the bottom of the grip. Furthermore, the legs are limited to the same length, since there is only one piston mechanism for both of the legs.
Accordingly, there is a long felt need for a simple single device that provides a bipod having separately adjustable legs, in one mode, and a comfortable handgrip, in a second mode.